Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Some philosophies fuel the belief in the self
Constructed to keep one's goods on one's own shelf
Built well, you're a strong letter I
With your feet on the ground and your head to the sky
Now and then you can bend
It's okay to lean over, lean over my way
You fear that you can't do it all
And you're right
Even day takes relief every day
from its work making light from the night
And when you're holding me
We make a pair of parentheses
There's plenty space to encase
Whatever weird way my mind goes
I know I'll be safe in these arms
When you're holding me
We make a pair of parentheses
There's plenty space to encase
Whatever weird way my mind goes
I know I'll be safe in these arms
If something in the deli aisle makes you cry
Of course I'll put my arm around you
And I'll walk you outside
Through the sliding doors
Why would I mind?
If something in the deli aisle makes you cry
Of course I'll put my arm around you
And I'll walk you outside
Through the sliding doors
Why would I mind?
You're not a baby if you feel the world
All of the babies they can feel the world
That's why they cry
And when you're holding me
We make a pair of parentheses
There's plenty space to encase
Whatever weird way my mind goes
I know I'll be safe in these arms
When you're holding me
We make a pair of parentheses
There's plenty space to encase
Whatever weird way my mind goes
I know I'll be safe in these arms
If something in the deli aisle makes you cry
Of course I'll put my arm around you
And I'll walk you outside
Through the sliding doors
Why would I mind?
All of the babies they can feel the world
That's why they cry
And when you're holding me
We make a pair of parentheses
There's plenty space to encase
Whatever weird way my mind goes
I know I'll be safe in these arms
When you're holding me
We make a pair of parentheses
There's plenty space to encase
Whatever weird way my mind goes
I know I'll be safe in these arms
Constructed to keep one's goods on one's own shelf
Built well, you're a strong letter I
With your feet on the ground and your head to the sky
Now and then you can bend
It's okay to lean over, lean over my way
You fear that you can't do it all
And you're right
Even day takes relief every day
from its work making light from the night
And when you're holding me
We make a pair of parentheses
There's plenty space to encase
Whatever weird way my mind goes
I know I'll be safe in these arms
When you're holding me
We make a pair of parentheses
There's plenty space to encase
Whatever weird way my mind goes
I know I'll be safe in these arms
If something in the deli aisle makes you cry
Of course I'll put my arm around you
And I'll walk you outside
Through the sliding doors
Why would I mind?
If something in the deli aisle makes you cry
Of course I'll put my arm around you
And I'll walk you outside
Through the sliding doors
Why would I mind?
You're not a baby if you feel the world
All of the babies they can feel the world
That's why they cry
And when you're holding me
We make a pair of parentheses
There's plenty space to encase
Whatever weird way my mind goes
I know I'll be safe in these arms
When you're holding me
We make a pair of parentheses
There's plenty space to encase
Whatever weird way my mind goes
I know I'll be safe in these arms
If something in the deli aisle makes you cry
Of course I'll put my arm around you
And I'll walk you outside
Through the sliding doors
Why would I mind?
All of the babies they can feel the world
That's why they cry
And when you're holding me
We make a pair of parentheses
There's plenty space to encase
Whatever weird way my mind goes
I know I'll be safe in these arms
When you're holding me
We make a pair of parentheses
There's plenty space to encase
Whatever weird way my mind goes
I know I'll be safe in these arms
Lyrics submitted by fancyashley
Parentheses Lyrics as written by Mikhaela Maricich Jonathan Warren Bechtolt
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Songtrust Ave, TERRORBIRD PUBLISHING LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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It's beautiful.
But I don't get the deli aisle thing...still. Like, he's vegan? Or something? And seeing dead animals makes him sad?
I think the idea may be just that "if something even seemingly insignificant makes you cry"